Nairobi: Eight female students have been arrested on suspicion of arson following a devastating dormitory fire at a boarding school in central Kenya that killed 16 children and injured dozens more, authorities said on Friday. The motive for the incident remains under investigation.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the students are suspected of planning and carrying out the attack at Utumishi Girls School. Police said they had spent Thursday questioning around 30 students and later asked parents to return on Friday morning without their children.

Investigators said they are carrying out extensive interviews with students, teachers and witnesses, while also reviewing CCTV footage as part of the ongoing probe.

DCI spokesperson John Marete said detectives were working to reconstruct the sequence of events and establish the circumstances and motive behind the fire.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said the school’s board of management had been dissolved, and the principal would face disciplinary action for failing to comply with safety regulations. He noted that the dormitory had been overcrowded and that one exit door had been locked in violation of safety requirements.

Two teachers who were reportedly aware of possible unrest that may have contributed to the suspected arson will also face disciplinary action.

The fire, which broke out on Thursday morning, left 79 students injured. The bodies of the 16 children killed have been taken to a government hospital morgue for DNA testing to confirm their identities.

Parents remained at the school on Friday, expressing frustration over a lack of information regarding the status of the detained students.

“I have not even been told about the eight who have been arrested,” one parent told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are just here and no one is giving us any information.”

Education officials in East Africa have long expressed concern over school fires, which are often linked to overcrowding, poor safety infrastructure, electrical faults, or, in some cases, student unrest and disciplinary issues.